A Dog Called Money by Bodo Schäfer
March 30, 2026
6 min read
📚 arvy's Book Club
arvy's Teaser: Kira is 11 years old. She finds an injured Labrador on the street and names him Money — because he perks up every time her parents argue about finances. Then the dog starts talking. And teaches her what no teacher, no parent, and no school ever has: how money actually works. "A Dog Called Money" by Bodo Schäfer is the world's most successful children's finance book — 3 million copies sold, 30 languages. And it's the perfect companion for getting started with the new arvy child account.
The Book in 60 Seconds
A Dog Called Money (1999) by Bodo Schäfer tells the story of 11-year-old Kira, who finds an injured white Labrador and nurses him back to health. She names him Money — and discovers that the dog is not only intelligent but can teach her the fundamental principles of building wealth. In child-friendly language, wrapped in a touching adventure story, the book conveys concepts like saving, investing, goal-setting, and the difference between income and wealth. It's not a finance book. It's a life book — that happens to teach more about money than any textbook.
Bodo Schäfer · 1999 · 3M+ copies sold · 30+ languages
German original: Ein Hund namens Money · Recommended from age 9 (and for their parents)
Idea 1: The Dream Album — why goals change everything
Money the Labrador gives Kira her first assignment: Create a dream album. Cut out pictures of everything you wish for. Write down why it matters to you. And look at it every day.
It sounds simple — but it's the most powerful lesson in the entire book. Money explains: most people don't know what they want. They only know what they don't want. Without clear goals, money is just paper. Only when you know what you're saving for does saving become meaningful.
Kira creates her dream album: her own computer, a trip to America, helping her parents get out of debt. Suddenly saving has a purpose. And suddenly she finds ways to earn more money — because the motivation is there.
"Most people don't really have a money problem. They have a goal problem. They don't know what they want to use their money for."
The Lesson for Parents
Don't start with "you need to save." Start with "what do you wish for?" When a child has a concrete goal — a bike, a trip, an experience — saving transforms from sacrifice into tool. The dream album is the children's version of investment goal-setting: those who know what they're investing for stay invested even through a crash.
Idea 2: The Goose That Lays Golden Eggs — and why you must never slaughter it
Money tells Kira the fable of the goose that lays golden eggs. The farmer is happy. Then he gets greedy. He slaughters the goose to get all the eggs at once. Result: no goose, no eggs, nothing.
Money's rule: Your money is the goose. The interest and returns are the golden eggs. Never slaughter the goose.
For Kira, this means: of every franc she earns, 50% goes into the "goose" — the long-term savings that are never touched. 40% goes into the jar for her dreams (short-term goals). And 10% she can spend immediately.
| Share | Kira's Rule | arvy Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 50% | The goose — long-term savings, never touch | arvy child account / savings plan — invested, compounding, growing |
| 40% | Dream jar — saving for specific wishes | Savings account for the bike, the trip, the experience |
| 10% | Pocket money — spend immediately and enjoy | Freedom, fun, spontaneity — guilt-free |
The Lesson for Parents
The goose is compound interest. And the younger the goose, the more golden eggs it will lay over its lifetime. CHF 50 per month, invested from birth, at 7% return: CHF 63,000 by the 18th birthday. Of that, only CHF 10,800 was contributed. The rest is golden eggs. The goose worked for 18 years — without ever being slaughtered. (→ arvy Investment Calculator)
Idea 3: The Success Journal — confidence is the foundation of everything
Money's second assignment for Kira: Every evening, write down five things that went well today. No matter how small. You helped someone. You got a good grade. You learned something new.
Money explains: how well you handle money depends on how much self-confidence you have. Those who don't believe in themselves don't dare to set goals. Those without goals have no reason to save. Those who don't save don't build wealth. Everything starts with confidence.
The success journal is Schäfer's method for breaking this cycle — and it works for children just as well as for adults. In investing, we know the same principle: those who document their successes (the first savings rate, the first dividend, the first positive year) stay motivated and keep investing — even when markets fall.
The Lesson for Parents
Financial education isn't a maths lesson. It's a confidence lesson. A child who learns to set goals, celebrate successes, and be patient will naturally handle money well as an adult. The success journal is the cheapest investment tool in the world — an empty notebook and a pencil.
What This Means for Swiss Families
Switzerland is the perfect environment to put Kira's lessons into practice. Few countries offer better conditions for long-term wealth building: tax-free capital gains, one of the highest income levels in the world, and a culture that values saving and discipline. But no Swiss school systematically teaches financial literacy.
| Money's Principle | Swiss Application |
|---|---|
| Create a dream album | Sit down with your child. Ask: what do you wish for in 1 year? In 5 years? Once there's a goal, saving makes sense — and the savings plan on the arvy child account gets a name. |
| Never slaughter the goose (50/40/10) | CHF 50/month into the child account (the goose). Part of pocket money into the dream jar. The rest can be spent immediately. The structure teaches three different relationships with money — long-term, medium-term, instant. |
| Keep a success journal | Five minutes together every evening: what went well today? What made you proud? This builds confidence — the foundation for every financial decision in adult life. |
| Money is a goose — let it work for you | CHF 50/month from birth, 18 years, 7% return = approx. CHF 63,000. CHF 100/month = approx. CHF 126,000. The child enters adulthood with wealth most 40-year-olds don't have — because the goose was allowed to lay eggs undisturbed for 18 years. |
arvy's Take
What holds up: Schäfer's stroke of genius is the packaging. The principles — set goals, don't slaughter the goose, keep a success journal, avoid debt — are timeless and solid. That he wrapped them in an emotional children's story makes the book accessible not just for children, but also for adults who never learned to think about money. 3 million copies sold in 30 languages speak for themselves. It's the financial foundation that should have been taught in school — and never was.
What's missing: The book is philosophically strong but practically thin. It explains why you should invest, but not how. There are no specific investment products, no ETF explanations, no discussion of risk. That's intentional — Schäfer wants to change the mindset, not replace a financial adviser. But parents who read the book with their children need the next step: a real tool to put the theory into practice.
What we'd add: That's exactly what the new arvy child account is for. Money's "goose" needs a home — and the child account is it. CHF 1 minimum, invested in quality companies, no timing, no hype, just compounding. Read the book with your child. Create the dream album together. Then set up the savings plan. The goose starts laying golden eggs from day one.
3 Sentences to Remember
1. Children don't need financial formulas. They need a goal (the dream album), a structure (50/40/10), and the experience that patience is rewarded (the goose that lays golden eggs).
2. Confidence is the foundation of every good financial decision — for children and adults alike. The success journal is the cheapest investment tool in the world.
3. CHF 50 per month, invested from birth, 18 years, 7% return = approx. CHF 63,000. The goose starts laying today. Not tomorrow.
Buy the book
Deutsche Version (Amazon) · English Version (Amazon)
Also in Book Club: Psychology of Money → · The Art of Spending Money → · The Millionaire Next Door →
The goose needs a home. The arvy child account is it.
From CHF 1/month. Invested in quality companies. No goose slaughtered. Compounding does the rest.
Open Child Account | Investment Calculator
This article was written by Thierry Borgeat, Co-Founder of arvy, and reviewed by Patrick Rissi, CFA, and Florian Jauch, CFA.
Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute personal investment advice. Amazon links are affiliate links. arvy is a FINMA-supervised asset manager.
